Field of Suits

San Diego  Alex Spanos, the megamillionaire developer from Stockton who is paying ex-Clinton aide Mark Fabiani to prospect around the county for a taxpayer subsidy for a new Chargers stadium, is also lobbying hard for federal government largesse. According to disclosure statements on file with the U.S. Senate, on July 1 of last year, the A.G. Spanos Companies retained the services of the big-name Washington influence-peddling firm Patton Boggs to lobby Congress regarding House Resolution 3, the "Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, High Priority Projects," along with H.R. 3058, a Department of Transportation appropriations bill. The Spanos companies have laid out a total of $180,000 through the middle of this year, the latest period for which filings are available. ... Meanwhile, Spanos is having a problem getting hold of land he wants to build on near Stockton. The GOP stalwart is seeking to create a 2231-acre retail and residential development dubbed Spanos Park North on the outskirts of town, reports the Stockton Record. But a group of property owners doesn't want to play ball. So Spanos has gone to court, claiming they reneged on an agreement reached with him three years ago to sell 315 acres of farmland in the middle of the project. In the suit, Alex's son Dean accuses the farmers of trying to back out of the deal -- reached before Spanos Park North was announced -- because the price of the land has gone up significantly since details of the mixed-use development were made public. The landowners have filed a counter suit, arguing that replacement land offered by Spanos as part of the deal did not meet the terms of their original agreement.